Manchester City‘s utility man Fabian Delph, has been a useful player for Pep Guardiola over the last few seasons. But it seems that Delph might move away from the Etihad in the summer, and one of the teams pursuing him are Leeds United.
Manchester City’s asking price for Delph might cause the Whites a few problems or two, however.
According to the Daily Star, the Englishman will cost £15 million, a fee that looks like a bit too steep for Leeds who missed out on promotion to the Premier League.
The fee and huge wages that Delph commands might hinder his potential move to Elland Road, a place he knows well having played for the club before. It also remains to be seen if he will be willing to take a step down to the Championship.
Fabian Delph – Factfile
Delph began his career at Leeds, debuting way back in 2007, and played just over 50 games for the team before moving to Aston Villa, who were then in the Premier League.
After playing 6 seasons at Villa Park, where he eventually became the captain, Delph moved to Manchester City in 2015 for £8 million. He has been a useful squad player for Guardiola, having played in midfield and filling in at left-back when called upon.
With Oleksandr Zinchenko putting in impressive performances at left-back, Delph has lost that position as well.
The Englishman has won the Premier League twice, while also being a part of the Manchester City team that won the FA Cup and League Cup in the 2018-19 season, but did not play a major part in both competitions.
Delph would add more quality, but the move seems far-fetched
Delph is a quality player, having played at the top tier of English football for a decade.
A player with a lot of energy and good passing ability, the central midfielder can move the ball around and advance from midfield positions to make important passes in the final third.
While Delph has predominantly played at left-back over the last two seasons, his main role is in central midfield. He could be a great addition for Leeds, but the costly transfer fee set by Manchester City and Premier League wages may not be affordable for a Championship side like Leeds, while at 29 years of age, Delph is not a spring chicken either.
Leeds have to strengthen in other areas of the field and it would be wiser to split the money that they would pay for Delph to add depth to the squad.